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New Medical Marvels Gallery

5/14/2007

It will be the largest permanent medical technology exhibit gallery in North America, and through a partnership among the Detroit Science Center, Beaumont Hospitals and Oakland University, it will be located right here in Detroit.

The Beaumont Hospitals and Oakland University Medical Marvels Gallery, a 15,000-square-foot exhibit gallery coming to the Detroit Science Center in 2009, will take visitors into the incredible world of the human body and medical science technology. More than 120 engaging and interactive exhibits will be part of this unique gallery.

"Beaumont and Oakland University are committed to educating Michigan's youth in math and sciences, particularly the medical sciences," said Kenneth J. Matzick, president and CEO of Beaumont Hospitals. "We hope this gallery dedicated to the medical sciences will capture the minds and interests of children at an early age, and encourage them to go into one of the many fields related to medicine."

Health care is increasingly important to the well-being of Michigan's citizens, for their personal well-being and for the growth of the state's economy. Major health care systems such as Beaumont Hospitals and major institutions of higher education such as Oakland University contribute to Michigan's preeminence in the medical field. The Medical Marvels Gallery will highlight Michigan's important role in health care today and its future role in the advancement of the life sciences.

"The medical industry produces some of the most fascinating technology in the world. Young visitors who experience the gallery's devices and procedures will want to become the technicians and bio-medical engineers of the future," said Kevin F. Prihod, president and CEO of the Detroit Science Center.

The Medical Marvels Gallery, a $5 million investment, will be unique, and dramatic. The Mezzanine Level of the Gallery, encompassing 6,000 square feet, will have the look of a futuristic, high-tech hospital. It will focus on prescription medicines and medical devices, and on medical procedures, including imaging, interventional radiology, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedic surgery, robotic surgery, heart surgery, angiography, prosthetics and implants. The Pharmaceuticals Laboratory will focus on the process of drug development, the function of five major drugs and the problem of drug interactions. The Mezzanine Level also will include a 20-seat Diagnostics Laboratory in which Science Center educators will conduct workshops for school children.

The main floor of the gallery encompasses 9,000 square feet and will introduce visitors to Human Anatomy and Health and Wellness. The Anatomy Laboratory will focus on the heart and blood vessels, muscles and bones, brain and nerves and digestive system. The gallery also will contain a Pathology Laboratory. The Health and Wellness Laboratory will focus on aging, nutrition, exercise, mental health, addictions, obesity, and chronic diseases, including diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and heart and lung failure.

The Detroit Science Center will be home to "Beaumont Hospitals and Oakland University Medical Marvels Gallery" in 2009, the largest permanent medical technology exhibit in North America.

"There are two different but complimentary messages from the gallery. Medical technology can do many things to fix what goes wrong with your body. But good behaviors - healthy nutrition, exercise and not smoking - can keep many problems from ever starting," said Prihod.

The Medical Marvels Gallery will be designed with the help of Beaumont physicians, Oakland University faculty and the Detroit Science Center's Medical Sciences Advisory Committee.

About Beaumont Hospitals

Beaumont has two hospitals in Royal Oak and Troy, with more than 2,400 private-practice physicians in more than 91 medical and surgical specialties. Beaumont also includes seven community-based medical centers, four nursing care centers, a research institute, home care and hospice. Beaumont's 1,061-bed Royal Oak hospital is a major teaching, research and referral center with Level I trauma designation that is first in the United States for inpatient admissions and second for total surgeries. Beaumont's 296-bed Troy hospital is an acute-care facility that is among the nation's leading community hospitals for admissions and surgeries. Surgical teams at Beaumont Hospitals performed 75,637 surgeries in 2006. Both Beaumont Hospitals are ranked among "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News and World Report. (Beaumont, Royal Oak for 10 medical specialties; Beaumont, Troy for 2 medical specialties).

About Oakland University

Oakland University, located in Oakland County, Michigan, is recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as one of the nation's 82 doctoral/research universities. The university offers 115 bachelor's degree programs and 90 graduate degree and certificate programs. Dedicated to delivering a distinctive undergraduate experience complemented by the strength of its graduate offerings and research accomplishments, Oakland University is organized into the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business Administration, Education and Human Services, Engineering and Computer Science, Health Sciences, Nursing, and The Honors College. To visit Oakland University on the Web click here.

About the Detroit Science Center

The Detroit Science Center features 110,000 square feet of scientific exploration, including Michigan's only IMAX. Dome Theatre; the Dassault Systhmes Planetarium; the Ford Learning Resource Center; the DTE Energy Sparks Theater; the DaimlerChrysler Science Stage; an 8,700 square-foot Science Hall for traveling exhibits; hands-on exhibit galleries focusing on space, life and physical science; an SBC Children's Gallery for pint-size scientists; and a Special Events Lobby. The Science Center has served more than 1.8 million visitors since its grand re-opening on July 28, 2001. For more information, please call 313-577-8400 or to visit the Web site click here.

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A Beaumont media relations contact is always available. Call the main office from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. After hours, weekends and holidays, call 248-898-5000 and ask for contact information for the media relations representative on-call.

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